mercifully

adverb

mer·​ci·​ful·​ly ˈmər-si-f(ə-)lē How to pronounce mercifully (audio)
1
: in a merciful manner
2
: fortunately sense 2
mercifully we didn't have to attend the meeting

Examples of mercifully in a Sentence

His crimes have been dealt with mercifully. Mercifully, the professor always makes our tests easy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fey was only engaged to Richmond at the time, not married, and at least in the clip of the sketch played during Fey's interview, Richmond was mercifully only standing, not hanging suspended from a rope. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025 This year’s field is mercifully free of a Skin or a Two Distant Strangers, and the two nominees most plugged in to the current political moment have none of the cloying obviousness that usually marks an Oscar short. Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025 Her face on her computer screen, caught in the gaze of her webcam, was mercifully small, its eyes frozen in desperate concentration. Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 Their second-half performance against fourth-bottom Wolves at Anfield on Sunday was odd but familiar, a curious loss of composure that has cropped up a few times this season but, mercifully for them, has not actually cost them too many points yet. Nick Miller, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mercifully

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mercifully was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mercifully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercifully. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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